John bacon holton



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. B. 4HOLTON.

GATE. No. 373,978. Patented NoviZQ, 18 87.

WITNESSES INVENTOR vAlTORNEYS.

N. PEIEBS. Pllotvulbognpiwr, Washington. n 0

(No Model.)

' 2 sheets- -Sheefi 2. J. -B. HOLTON.

'GATE. No. 873,978. 4 Pa tented Nov, 29, 1887. A flyzt L =5" v Em? a g g z mmssns: I -1 mw-mron: P Wow @5 BY .A

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UNITED STATES PATENT Orricnt 7 JOHN BACON HOLTON, OF WASHINGTON, KENTUCKY.

GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 373,978, dated November 29, 1887 Application filed July 18, 1887. Serial No. 244,643.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BACON HOLTON, of Washington, in the county of Mason and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and Improved Gate, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to gates used with fences for lands, and has for its object to provide an inexpensive gate of a this character which has durability and will work easily by reason of the facilities afforded by its construction to prevent or correct tendency of the gate to sag, and to support it when closed, so as to relieve its frame, hinges, and latch, and also the gate-post, of racking strains.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the gate, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 isa side view of my improved gate. Fig. 2 is a side view of part of a gate, showing a modified construction; and Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional elevation taken on the line 1 1, Fig. 1. v

The frame of the gate consists,mainly, of two uprights, A B, at its hinge and latch ends, respectively, upper and lower bars or rails, G D, framed or otherwise suitably connected to the uprights, a diagonal brace, E, which is secured at opposite ends by bolts to the upright A and rail 0, and is halved into the lower rail, D, and a base board, F, which is fixed to the parts AB D at ornear the bottom of the gate. The tops ofthe uprights A B, which project above the top rail, 0, are connected, by a trussrod, G, which passes through a hole or slot in the top of an angular metal plate, H, which is held to the gate-rail O partly by the same bolt,

' e, which holds the brace E to this rail.

Between the uprights A B are stretcheda series of longitudinally-ranging stay rods or wires, Lwhich have heads at one end and bolt ends and nuts at the other end, and these rods pass through the diagonal brace E, and also through avertically-ranging metal stay bar or plate, J, the lower part of which is twisted onequarter around from the plane of the body of the bar through which the rods I pass and enters a slot in the lower rail, D, whereto it is (No model.)

held by a bolt or pin, j. The upper end of the bar J is rounded and screw-threaded to form a bolt end, j, and on it is fitted a tapped screw-plate, K, which bears against the under side of the top rail, 0, of the gate. The bolt end j passes through the rail C,and also through the outer end portion of the angle-plate H, and above this plate receives a nut, k,which,when tightened and in connection with the bolt '6, above named, holds, the plate H firmly to the top of the gate.

It is obvious that with the gate proper constructed as above described there is very little liability of a disjointing of the gate, either laterally or vertically, and the tendency of the gate to sag is reduced to a minimum.

The gate is hung to the hinge-post L by means of two bolts, M, having eyes m, which encircle the post, and have nuts m, which are fitted to the threaded stems of the bolts and are clamped to opposite edges of the hingeupright A of the gate, with or without interposed washers. The stem of the upper eye bolt, M, is prolonged to form a brace-rod, N, which passes forward through the diagonal brace E, and has a threaded extremity, onto which and outside of the brace is screwed a nut, 01, which takes against a shoulder, n, provided for it on the brace.

It is obvious that the slight tendency thegate has to sag may be corrected by screwing up the nut n ofthe stay-bar in connection with adjustment of the nuts m m on the eyebolts M.

Each of the gate-uprights A B is provided at its lower end with a roller, which is preferably fitted in a slot in the upright and held in said slot by its pin or axle, which passes through the upright. The rollerO on the up right A is adapted to rest and travel on a metal plate, P, which may be a part of the post L, but which is shown fixed to the foundation or sill plate or post It, onto or into which the hinge-post Lis fitted. This plate P is con-' closed from its fully-opened position it will be caused to close automatically byits own gravity as the roller 0 rides down one of the inclined faces 12 of the plate P. The other roller, O,on the upright B is adapted to ride upon a metal plate, P, which is fixed to the sill plate or post R, onto or into which is fitted the latch-post S of the gate. The opposite ends of the plate I? are inclined or beveled, to allow the roller 0 to ride easily onto the plate as the gate closes from either side.

It is obvious that the entire weight of the gate will be supported by the rollers on the plates P P; whereby sagging or vertical rocking of the gate is almost wholly prevented when the gate is closed, and the gate-hinges are entirely relieved of racking strains, and the posts are also relieved of all strain but the vertical pressure of the gate upon the sills It It, and the gate-latch isalso free from pressure or strain.

The gate-latch comprises a couple of bolts, T T, which are fitted to slide horizontally in the gatcupright B, and preferably within metal cups or bushings t t, fitted in the upright. The bolts T are each provided with a collar or shoulder, u, between which and the inner end of the adjacent bushing t an expanding spring, U, is placed, so as normally to force the bolt outward into engagement withan openingin a double inclined catchplate, 8, which is fixed by bolts or screws to the latch-post. The inner ends of the bolts T are formed, preferably, as eyes for convenient connection of them by links or chains V, with cranks 10, which are formed as bends of a latch-operating bar, \V, which is journaled in the gate-rails O D, and at its top carries a crank-arm, w, by partially turning which in either direction both bolts T will be simultaneously withdrawn from their catch-plates s to allow the gate to be swung open. When the crank w is let go, the latch-bolt springs restore the bolts T and the bar \V to normal positions. (Shown in Fig. l of the drawings.)

The gate proper (shown in part in Fig. 2 of the drawings) is made like the gate above described, but has a modified form of its hinging devices,as follows: Ahinge-bar, X, is bent outward at a right angle at its upper part, or, and said part, which passes through the gate-upright A, is screw-threaded to receive nuts 00 00 at opposite faces of the upright, and the vertical portion of the bar X passes through the eyes of screw-bolts Z Z, fastened in the hinge-post L, and below the lower eyebolt l the bar passes freely through the eye of a bolt, M, which is passed through the gateupright A and receives nuts m m at opposite faces of the upright. The upper part of the hinge-bar X is prolonged forward to form a brace, N, which, like the rod N, above described, passes through the diagonal brace E of the gate and receives a nut, 12, by tightening which, in connection with the adjustment of the nuts w w m m, any tendency of the gate to sag may be corrected.

It is obvious that both the brace-rods N N have'thc same peculiarity of construction in connection with the gate-hingethat is to say, the brace-rod in each instance is formed as a prolongation of one of the members of a hinge of the gate, which promotes economical construction and durability of the gate.

The weight of the gate is sustained by the bearing of the upper part, or, of the bar X on the upper eyebolt Z, asshown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is-

1. The combination, with the uprights A B and longitudinal rails O D, of the angleplate bolted upon the top rail, 0, the trussrod extending through the upper ends of the uprights and angle plate, the vertical staybar J, twisted at its lower end at right angles to its main part, provided with a series of apertures, screw-threaded at its upper end, and passed through the top rail, the plate K, nut is, the bolt or pin j, securing the lower end of the bar J to the lower rail, and the longitudinal wires passing through said bar and secured to the uprights, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a gate, of uprights A B, top and bottom rails, G D, and a diagonal brace, E. connecting the parts A C, an angle-plate, H, fixed at the top of rail 0 by a bolt, 6, which holds the upper end of the brace E, and by a bolt end,j, of a vertical staybar held to the bottom rail of the gate, a screw-plate, K, on the bar J below the rail 0, and a nut, is, on the bar above said rail, and a truss'rod, G, connected to opposite upper ends of the gate-uprights A B and hearing on the vertical part ofv the angle-plate H, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

3. In a gate constructed with end uprights and longitudinal rails A B G D, a diagonal brace, E, and longitudinal stay rods or wires I, arranged substantially as specified, the combination, with the rails O D and rods I, of a vertical stay-bar, J, through which the rods I pass, and which is connected to the rail Dand to the rail 0 by a screw-plate, K, and nut k on the upper threaded end of the bar, substantialiy as shown and described.

4. In a hinged gate, the combination, with the gate-frame, of spring-pressed latch-bolts T thereon, a vertically-ranging rod,W, journaled in the frame and provided with cranks w and a crank-arin, w, and links V, connecting the bolts T and cranks w, and adapted, when the rod \V is turned, to withdraw the bolts from a catch-plate or recess in a latch-post, substantially as herein set forth.

JOHN BACON HOLTON.

Vitnesses:

Tnos. R. PHISTER, E. S. PERRIE. 

